Sexualization is a common phenomenon among people that can take place both consciously and unconsciously. When an individual focuses attention on another person's physical appearance or attraction towards them, it leads to sexualization. Sexualization often occurs in the workplace between colleagues, subordinates, superiors, and customers. It is believed that when an employee feels sexually attracted to their coworkers, they tend to collaborate less and share knowledge. Moreover, they do not provide feedback due to fear of rejection and judgment from others. This article will explain how sexualized perception affects employees' willingness to collaborate, share knowledge, and provide feedback.
How does sexualized perception lead to lack of collaboration?
When an employee views another employee as physically attractive, they may have difficulties interacting with them professionally.
If an employee finds their coworker attractive, they may feel distracted during meetings.
They might want to spend more time around them, which disrupts the concentration level. As a result, they would perform below average compared to other workers. Collaboration involves teamwork, participation, cooperation, communication, and interaction to achieve a goal. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the employee to participate actively when their mind wanders off because of the presence of someone else who catches their eyesight.
Lack of sharing knowledge due to sexualized perception
In any organization, information must flow smoothly between departments and individuals. The most efficient way of achieving this is through the sharing of knowledge and expertise.
Sexualization hinders such processes. When an individual desires another person romantically or sexually, it reduces their motivation to share knowledge because they are preoccupied with the idea of pursuing a relationship with them. It creates barriers that impede knowledge-sharing among colleagues. Besides, it can be challenging to engage in meaningful conversations with each other when one party focuses on physical attraction.
Fear of rejection and judgment leads to unwillingness to provide feedback
Feedback is essential in every workplace because it helps improve performance. Employees give constructive criticism to make others aware of their mistakes and shortcomings so that they can avoid repeating them in the future.
Employees fear giving feedback to their superiors or subordinates when they have developed feelings for them. They may feel intimidated by the reaction from the receiver of the message, resulting in loss of confidence and hesitation.
Giving negative feedback means showing your weaknesses, which can be used against you in the future.
If a boss has feelings for an employee, they might judge him/her based on the feedback given without considering its accuracy.
Sexualized perception affects employees' willingness to collaborate, share knowledge, and provide feedback in many ways. Collaboration becomes difficult due to distractions caused by attraction. On the other hand, knowledge sharing decreases since people tend to think about relationships instead of job goals. Lastly, feedback hesitates because individuals fear judgment and possible rejection. Therefore, employers must create an environment where sexualization does not hinder productivity. They should ensure that everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves freely in the workplace without fear of being judged.
How does sexualized perception affect employees' willingness to collaborate, share knowledge, and provide feedback?
Sexualized perception refers to an individual's belief about the importance of physical appearance and sexuality as a means of attracting attention from others. According to recent research conducted by (citation), employees with a higher level of sexualized perception may be more likely to focus on their appearance rather than professional competence when interacting with coworkers. As a result, they may not feel comfortable engaging in teamwork activities such as collaboration, knowledge sharing, and providing constructive feedback.